Children could face an increased risk of developing attention/hyperactivity deficit disorder (ADHD) if their mothers took acetaminophen, a common analgesic and a fever reducer, during pregnancy, the researchers have discovered.
The study, which has caused new discussions on the controversial issue, was recently published in Nature Mental Health magazine.
“Compared to non -exposure, the detection of acetaminophen in maternal blood during pregnancy was related to three times the probability that the child develops ADHD,” said author Brennan Baker, a researcher at the Seattle Children Research Institute.
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To collect the data, the researchers took blood samples of 307 black women during their second trimester of pregnancy, then evaluated the markers of medications that reduce fever.
Researchers have discovered an increased risk of developing a attention/hyperactivity deficit disorder if their mothers took acetaminophen during pregnancy, according to researchers. (Istock)
They also took samples of mothers placentas after childbirth to look for signs of greater inflammation in those exposed to acetaminophen.
(Previous studies have linked high and immune responses during pregnancy with adverse pregnancy Neurod development in childrenBaker pointed out.)
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Then, the researchers continued with the children at 8 to 10 years of age to determine how many had been diagnosed with ADHD, then determined if the prenatal exposure to acetaminophen was related to a greater probability of the disorder.
The researchers also found DNA changes Related to the immune system roads in the placentas that were exposed to acetaminophen, which was linked to a greater probability that children develop ADHD.
“What this study does well is to push us more to the understanding of modifiable prenatal risk factors.”
“This indicates that interruptions in the immune system could be a mechanism that links this exhibition with child neurological development,” Baker said.
Dr. Ryan Sultan, a Newyork-Presbyterian Hospital and director of the Mental Health Information Laboratory at the Medical Center of Columbia University, said the study’s findings are “important and worrying.”
“What this study does well is to push us to understand the modifiable prenatal risk factors,” said Sultan, who did not participate in the research, Fox News Digital.
Acetaminophen is a common analgesic and a fever reducer. (Istock)
While the study adds to the growing consensus that acetaminophen is not risk -free, that does not mean that pregnant women cannot take tylenol or Other medications Continuing acetaminophen, experts told Fox News Digital.
“When possible, it should be used in moderation and only when it is medically necessary during pregnancy,” said Sultan.
Conflicting studies
There is a contradictory research body about the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and the risk of adverse neurological development.
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For example, a recent study of almost 2.5 million Swedish children last year did not find an increase in Autism riskADHD or intellectual disability between brothers who were exposed to pain medication before birth.
ADHD is one of the most common mental health conditions during childhood, according to the American Psychiatric Association. (Istock)
However, a national study in Taiwan found that the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy increased the development of ADHD in offspring, regardless of whether mothers had mental health disorders.
Many previous studies have been based on the self -report of mothers, which underestimates use, since many people take acetaminophen without knowing it, according to Baker.
Study limitations
Sultan warned that the study has some limitations.
Its sample size was small, the population was limited to black mothers in the south, and exposure to acetaminophen was measured only in a single point over time, he said.
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Another important limitation is the design of the study, since it cannot demonstrate that the use of acetaminophane causes ADHD.
“We can never be 100% sure that an association is causal in an observation study like this, since there can always be unknown confusion factors,” Baker told Fox News Digital.
ADHD is a “complex multifactorial deficit in executive functioning” that can manifest in several ways, according to an expert. (Istock)
“We try to control as many factors as possible, including the family history of mental health conditions, the maternal use of antibiotics, the maternal use of other drugs used for pain/fever, the socioeconomic state of the family and the prenatal exposure to tobacco and alcohol,” he added.
While researchers may have identified a Possible Risk of ADHDThe mental health condition is a “complex multifactor deficit in executive functioning” that can manifest in several ways, according to Dr. Lama Bazzi, a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City.
“We can never be 100% sure that an association is causal in an observation study like this.”
There are approximately Six million pregnancies Every year and 80% of women take at least one medicine for a health problem diagnosed before or during pregnancy, according to the US Food and Medicines Administration.
Most women take acetaminophen at some point during pregnancy, with more use among those with Anxiety and depressionAccording to previous research.
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ADHD is one of the most common mental health conditions during childhood, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
The study was partly funded by the National Health Institutes. Fox News Digital communicated with drug manufacturers containing acetaminophen to comment.
